


Hidden Behind an Iron Mask

by KagekaNecavi



Category: Marvel, Marvel (Comics), Marvel 616, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Fluff, Humor, M/M, Mistaken Identity, Stony Bingo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-04
Updated: 2014-08-04
Packaged: 2018-02-11 19:42:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2080734
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KagekaNecavi/pseuds/KagekaNecavi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve confesses his love to Iron Man. Jim wishes that Steve had bothered to check who was wearing the armor first.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hidden Behind an Iron Mask

**Author's Note:**

> Written for my Mistaken Identity square of my Stony Bingo square.
> 
> Betaed by the wonderful CloudyJenn, though I did fiddle with it a tad since the last time she took a look at it, so any mistakes are my own.
> 
> This fic takes place in early 616 canon, before the red thong incident, and does take some liberties with canon, but to be honest probably no more liberties than the comic writers take with it.

Jim had no idea why he let Tony talk him into these things. At first it had seemed like a simple request; Tony and Iron Man had to be at the same event, and he needed someone piloting the armor, just in case. Jim had known Tony for years, ever since Tony’s escape from terrorists, when he’d made the first version of the armor. Because of that, he was one of the few people that knew Tony and Iron Man were the same man. Those things combined, with the fact that he wasn’t half bad at imitating Tony, made him the obvious choice.

The press conference had gone off without a hitch, no one suspecting that Iron Man wasn’t actually Iron Man. Things continued to go smoothly until Jim heard Captain America shouting after him.

“Iron Man! Shellhead, wait for me!” It took Jim a moment to even realize that Captain America was talking to him, but when he did, he turned and looked towards him, then glanced over the crowd for Tony. Yes, he knew Tony’s and Iron Man’s mannerisms well enough to fool the casual observer. He could even fool the other Avengers at a press conference, since all any of them had had to do was stand up and stare at reporters while Tony talked.

But he wasn’t good enough to fool Steve Rogers in a private conversation!

Unfortunately Tony was deep in conversation with someone Jim didn’t recognize, so Jim was on his own.

“Hey, Shellhead,” Steve said when he’d caught up with Jim, grinning earnestly.”

“Hi,” Jim said, trying not to be awkward.

“Can we talk? I’ve been meaning to get some time alone with you.”

**Shit**. Why the _hell_ did he let Tony talk him into these things? But he couldn’t just say no. That would be suspicious. As far as Jim had seen, Iron Man and Steve spent a lot of time together, and Jim deviating from that standard would make Steve think something was weird. Probably not that Iron Man was someone else under the mask, but that there was **something** going on. “Yeah, sure, Steve.” Jim said, nodding a bit, letting Steve lead the way back into the manor and towards the living quarters. They stopped once they had some privacy and Steve turned to Jim, suddenly looking nervous.

“So, Iron Man. We’ve known each other for a while now.” Steve started, and Jim wondered where he was going with this, eyebrows arched behind the mask. “I know I’ve never seen you. I don’t know what you look like under there. I don’t even know if you’re actually a man or if you’re a woman with a really good secret identity.” Jim had to keep himself from laughing. That was a really good concept, but Tony would never be able to pull something like that off. Not every single day, anyway. It seemed like Steve was rambling, which was unlike him from what Jim knew of him. “I really don’t care who you are in there though. I mean, I do, but I don’t care about your appearance. What I care about is your personality. You’re funny and kind and you care and you have a good sense of humor,” what the hell? Steve really seemed to see Tony through rose-tinted lenses. Suddenly a rock settled in the pit of Jim’s stomach. Steve was confessing his love to Iron Man. While the **wrong man** was in the Iron Man suit! “I guess what I’m saying is you’re special to me. And I know people think I’m not familiar with the way things are done nowadays but I know more than people think. If you’d like to date me, I’d be honored.”

Jim was going to **kill** Tony. He searched for an answer, something he could tell Steve that didn’t result in Jim being the one to crush Captain America’s heart, and watched Steve’s face slowly fall. Then he got it.

“Can you give me time to think? If I’m gonna be with you, I need to figure out how I’m going to handle my secret identity.” Jim said. That was close enough to the truth. If you looked at it askance.

Steve brightened immediately. “Oh, yeah, of course! I should have thought about that first.” A little wrinkle appeared between Steve’s eyes and he frowned, looking a little guilty, which made Jim feel a lot guilty. Had he just accidentally guilt tripped _Captain America_?

“No, it’s fine. Just gimmie a few days. I’ll get back to you, okay?” Jim said. He smiled as he spoke, though he knew Steve wouldn’t be able to see it and the modulators just about took it out of his voice. Still, that little bit of emotion left in his voice was worth it.

“Okay. Thanks, Shellhead.” Steve smiled, eager like a puppy.

“No problem.” Jim said, then turned and left, heading down to Tony’s workshop, since they had already decided to meet down there after the press conference.

Tony was waiting for him, looking up when Jim came in and grinning. “There you are! I was starting to wonder if I’d have to find and rescue you!”

“Actually that wouldn’t have been unwelcome.” Jim said. Tony shot him a puzzled look and Jim continued, pulling the helmet off and running a hand over his head as he did so, “Steve cornered me.”

“What? Did he suspect? Did he know you weren’t me?” Tony deserved the minor freakout that that had caused. Well, Tony deserved a lot more, but Jim wasn’t going to be too cruel. Even if Jim still wanted to kill him for making Jim go through all of that.

“No, he wanted to talk. Actually … apparently Steve wants to date you, man.”

“Very funny.” Tony said, narrowing his eyes at Jim. “What did he want, seriously?”

“I **am** serious!” Jim protested, “he started out ‘we’ve known each other for a while’ and was all romantic about not caring what Iron Man looks like and went on to ramble about how nobody thinks he knows what things are like nowadays. Then he said he’d be honored if you’d like to date him. _Honored_.” Jim said.

Tony shifted a little. “Seriously?”

“ **Yes**.” Jim insisted.

“So what did you say?” Tony asked, frowning and looking a little worried.

“I told him that because of the whole secret identity thing you’d wait and decide in a few days.” Jim said, shrugging.

Tony breathed out a sigh and nodded. “Okay. That’s … okay.”

“What are you going to do about it?” Jim asked, pressing a bit, leaning forward as he did.

“I’m not sure,” Tony shook his head, “I mean, you know I like guys, too, but you’re right. The whole secret identity thing is complicated and -”

“Wait.” Jim interrupted. “Just shut up a second. Are you using my bullshit as a _serious_ excuse? No way man!”

“It’s a good reason!” Tony argued, shaking his head and backing away from Jim a little. He was going to retreat into his work, Jim just knew it.

“Damn it, Tony. Why can’t you face this like an _adult_?”” Jim asked, frustration seeping into his voice.

“Because I **like** him, Jim.” Tony rarely used Jim’s given name, so often preferring the nickname, so Jim paid attention as Tony continued, “I **really** like him, Jim. I don’t know how to handle myself around him sometimes and it’s easier to hide behind Iron Man’s mask.”

“Yeah, but, Tony, he really likes you, too. He told me as much. I think you need to go for it.” Jim said. Tony watched him, and sighed.

“Not right now. Let me think, okay? You bought me some time, so let me use it.”

“Fine.” Jim nodded. But he wasn’t going to drop it completely. If Tony didn’t do something about it, then Jim would have to bring it up again sometime soon.

 

* * *

Several days later found Jim in the workshop again, and in the armor again. Tony had promised ages ago to make Jim his own armor, and it turned out he was finally getting around to it. The armor that he currently had Jim strapped into was an obvious prototype, scribbles all over it in grease pencil. He liked the color, though, that gray that was so much more subtle than Tony’s ostentatious red and gold.

“So?” He asked, knowing it was nosy of him but unable to help it.

“So … what?” Tony asked, doing a horrible job playing dumb.

“So! So have you talked to him yet?” Jim glared. He wasn’t wearing the helmet, just the body because of something to do with fitting it. Tony had explained it, but even to Jim’s trained ears it had sounded like complete and total technobabble. Maybe because Tony had half been talking to himself at the same time.

“No. And actually ‘Iron Man’ has been away for a few days.”

“You’re a coward, you know that?” Jim accused, ready to really read Tony the riot act.

Before either could say anything, the door to the workshop opened and in came Steve, dressed casually. “Do you think you could help me with something? I need some advice...” he was saying as he came in. When he saw Jim and Tony, both frozen like deer in headlights, he glanced between them and smiled warmly. Oddly, though, it was focused on Jim and warmer than Jim had ever seen Steve direct at Jim without Jim wearing the Iron Man helmet.

Then he realized. Shit. He had the whole suit on, except for the helmet.

“Iron Man! You’re Jim Rhodes?” Steve asked, smiling still, then gestured to the door, “You should keep that locked when you have your helmet off.”

“I’m not.” Jim said quickly. “I was covering for him the other day and Tony is building me a suit of my own to repay me. He wanted me to wear this one to size it or something.”

“Biometrics. It’s getting a read of your biometrics so that your armor, when it’s built, will respond only to you.” Tony corrected.

“Then where’s Iron Man?” Steve asked, “I haven’t seen him since the day of the press conference.”

Jim saw the dots connect lightning fast in Steve’s eyes. He was considered one of the greatest tactical minds of the last century for a reason, after all.

“No … I didn’t, did I? That was you, wasn’t it, Jim? That was the day you covered for him.” Steve looked between them and then leveled a look at Tony. “Where is Iron Man? _Who_ is Iron Man? How often do you have other people in the suit? Is Iron Man hurt? Is that why Jim was covering for him?”

Tony looked between them, eyes darting quickly. Jim recognized that expression. It meant he was frantically thinking up a lie. But then something odd happened. Tony’s shoulders slumped and he sighed. “Me.” He said. Jim grinned.

“Pardon?” Steve asked, frowning, but Jim thought he saw a triumphant sort of ‘ah-ha!’ look in his eye.

“I’m Iron Man. The reason Rhodey was in the armor at the press conference was because I needed to be there as Tony and as Iron Man and Tony can’t hide behind an iron mask. Iron Man can.” Tony said, leaning back against the counter that he had been standing next to and looking at Steve.

Steve considered Tony for a moment, and Jim wondered what he was going to do. This could make or break their future, and Jim really didn’t want to have to handle Tony if this went wrong. But then Steve took a few steps forward and slid a hand over Tony’s jaw, cupping it. “Hey, there, Shellhead. Did Jim tell you what I told him, about you and I?”

“Yeah, he did.” Tony nodded, looking up at Steve. There wasn’t normally much of a height difference between them, but with Tony leaning against the table like he was, that put extra inches between them.

“Okay, how about I take this suit off and you two can have the privacy you so obviously want?” Jim asked, and both Tony and Steve jumped a little, Tony more than Steve, as if they’d almost completely forgotten he was there.

“Yeah, let me help you get out of it, Jim.” Tony said, pulling away from Steve and going over to Jim to peel him out of the armor, undoing the catches quickly so it fell off of him. “We’ll do this again soon, so that I can get your armor finished.”

“Sounds great.” Jim said, shaking his head. “Just get stuff sorted out with Steve first, okay? I’m not doing this while you’re pining for him again.”

“Okay.” Tony nodded, clapping Jim on the back as Jim fled. He wasn’t ashamed to call that what it was. He did not want to be around for much more of this, as much as he cared for Tony and thought Steve would be good for him, he didn’t need to be around when they started things off.

 

* * *

The next time Jim saw Tony was almost three weeks later. Tony had invited him down to the workshop and when Jim arrived, Steve was already down there with a sketchbook in his hands and a small gift basket with all of Jim’s favorite candies in it sitting next to him.

“This is for you, Jim.” Steve said, standing and bringing him the basket, handing it over with a smile.

“Why?” Jim asked, arching his eyebrows.

“It’s a thank you. You played an integral role in Tony and myself getting together, so I wanted to thank you for it.” Steve explained.

“Oh. Well, thanks. I like everything you picked for it.” Jim said, giving Steve a smile.

“Tony helped me pick it all out.” Steve beamed, then went back over to his sketchbook.

“And Tony also has a way better present for you over here.” Tony said, gesturing. “That armor I promised you? It’s finished. I was able to get a good enough biometric scan before that it’s locked to you and you alone.”

As nice a gesture as the candy had been, the armor was much better. As Tony said, no one else could pilot it, not even Tony himself - though Jim wasn’t dumb enough to think Tony didn’t have some sort of backdoor in it that he could use to shut the armor down if he ever needed to. Superheroing was an odd business, and mind control was, unfortunately, a possible occurrence. It also had way more guns on it than Tony’s armor and was a very tasteful gunmetal gray. Well. As tasteful as a six and a half foot tall suit of armor capable of leveling a small country could be.

Maybe, Jim thought as he flew off later in the armor, having extensively tested it with Tony and decided it was the superior gift, no matter how delicious the candy looked, this was why he let Tony talk him into ridiculous these things.


End file.
